Beijing Capital Airport, China (PEK) Flights & Information

Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is huge, with 2 main terminals, one of which used to be the biggest in the world. PEK is the older of the 2 main airports serving Beijing, so make sure you don’t confuse it with Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), the big new airport to the south of the city.

Beijing Capital is the primary Beijing hub for Air China and its Star Alliance partners, plus Hainan Airlines. Oneworld and SkyTeam airlines mostly cluster around Beijing Daxing, but do check your ticket carefully. Use this guide to Beijing Capital International Airport for expert tips to improve your visit.

Beijing Capital Airport terminals and layout

PEK is located in the northeast suburbs of China’s capital between the 5th and 6th ring roads. It has 2 main terminals, the older Terminal 2 and the enormous newer Terminal 3, which are about 2 miles apart with a couple approach roads and airport express train stations. What used to be Terminal 1 now operates as a satellite of Terminal 2 with a walkway connecting them.

There’s a shuttle bus between Terminals 2 and 3, leaving from outside the arrivals area of each terminal and arriving at the departures area of the other.

Terminal 2 is fairly compact and roughly shaped like an H. You enter the building in the middle of the H, and the domestic side is to the left with the international side on the right. Follow your airline’s directions if you’re using the old Terminal.

Terminal 3 is gargantuan – when it opened, it was the largest passenger terminal in the world. It consists of 3 separate buildings: the main terminal building, which also has some gates, and the 2 satellite gates. The main terminal contains the C gates, which serve domestic flights.

Connected to the main terminal by an underground automated train is the first satellite building with the D gates – these are also domestic. The international satellite building contains the E gates and is also connected by the underground train. All the international passport control formalities are handled over at the international satellite building.

Overall, Beijing is certainly one of those cities where you want to double check which terminal – and with the newer Beijing Daxing airport, which airport – your flight uses.

Arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport

The arrivals process and entering China is similar no matter which terminal your flight uses. For domestic flights, follow the signs to baggage claim and arrivals, using the peoplemover if you happen to arrive into the domestic satellite building of Terminal 3.

For international flights, you’ll have arranged your visa (or visa-free transit) in advance, so you go through passport control before collecting your bags, then customs, and then heading into arrivals.

Remember that many overseas email providers are blocked within China, so this is one of those airports where I make sure I have actual printouts (or at the very least screenshots) of important information like my onward airline tickets and hotel reservations.

144-hour visa-free transit in Beijing

Visitors from a wide range of countries – currently 54 – can use the 144-hour (6-day) visa-free transit option to spend some time in Beijing en route to somewhere else. This can be a great experience, but do be clear about the rules and regulations, especially that you need to have proof of an onward ticket to a third country.

You can use the visa-free transit program from the US to Beijing, spend 5 days and then fly onwards to Korea or Japan, for example, but you can’t just use it to fly from the US to Beijing and back. You can check with your local Chinese consulate for more details.

Getting to and from PEK by public transit

PEK is connected to central Beijing by the cheap and fast Capital Airport Express rail line, which stops at Terminals 2 and 3 before heading into central Beijing and stopping at 3 subway stations. The first is Sanyuanqiao on the outer ring circular line 10, then Dongzhimen for the inner circular line 2 and northern loop line 13, and it terminates at Beixinqiao on the eastern north-south line 5.

There are also shuttle bus routes to a number of key destinations around the city, including Beijing’s West and South railway stations, plus the new Beijing Daxing International Airport. These have both express and local options, stopping at a variety of points on the way to their destinations. Airport hotels also have shuttle buses – check with yours for the details.

How to get to and from Beijing Capital International Airport by car

Both terminals have taxi stands, but there can be long lines at peak times. Beijing taxis are inexpensive compared with other major cities, but be certain that you use the proper taxi stand rather than getting into an unlicensed taxi, which can be a scam – it’s more likely to be frustrating and expensive rather than dangerous, but best to avoid in any case.

There’s no flat rate pricing to or from the airport in Beijing, so the taxi driver is required to use the meter. If they don’t, point at the meter and say “da biao,” and they should understand you. If they don’t understand (or pretend not to) it’s a big red flag: make a scene and attract the attention of the taxi stand manager – and I’d get out of that taxi and request another one.

A few taxi drivers speak English, especially at the airport, but if you don’t speak Mandarin I’d print out the address of your destination (in Chinese characters), including the name of your hotel (again, in Chinese). Lastly, taxis don’t take international credit or debit cards, so unless you’re familiar with the Chinese e-payment systems like AliPay, UnionPay and WeChat, have cash with you. This is good advice for your general travels in Beijing.

Rideshare app Didi is the local equivalent of Uber, but advance bookings at the airport can be a bit dicey and finding the location of your driver isn’t always as easy as it should be. Maybe try it if you want an adventure and are a confident Mandarin speaker.

If you have a friend or family member with a car who’s willing to drop you off and pick you up, that’s a major bonus. If you have a lot of luggage, Beijing’s one of those few cities where I’d even recommend checking with your hotel whether they have a pickup service where the driver awaits you in arrivals with one of those little name boards.

Security lines and departures at PEK

The size of PEK means that this is an airport where you want to arrive in plenty of time, especially if you’re departing from Terminal 3 – and even more so if you’re departing internationally, where the sheer distances involved at what used to be the world’s biggest passenger terminal mean that it can take up to 45 minutes to reach your gate.

The process is relatively straightforward, though: check-in and baggage drop, then security and then off to wait for your plane. International flights add departures passport control, and potentially an additional security check. You may also have your checked bags scanned to ensure there are no lithium batteries in them.

Lounges and Wi-Fi at PEK

Many airlines operate lounges at PEK, but none are standouts and most are only okay at best, with few stronger contenders and some that don’t even have restrooms inside. The better ones are the lounges from Cathay Pacific and Emirates, which you can access if you’re flying with them or have frequent flyer access. Otherwise, your airline should let you know what lounge you have access to – but don’t be wedded to it.

I’ll often just grab a canned soft drink or a bottle of water and then head on out to try to find a quiet space in the terminal, or grab a bite at a restaurant instead.

Priority Pass has a few lounge options in Terminal 2 and the international departures area of Terminal 3, all of which are firmly in that okay category, but some of which require that you be flying a specific airline. Check carefully. There are also some Refresh spa options for members, too.

While there’s Wi-Fi in the terminals, it’s not great and can be a pain to use – you may need to register in person, and many overseas websites, socials, apps and even email providers are blocked. I usually try to hook myself up with roaming on my phone from back home instead.